By Abiola Olawale
The immediate past Deputy President of the Senate and Obarisi of Urhobo nation, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege has called for an urgent, comprehensive and transparent investigation into the troubling reports surrounding the death of Pa James Achovwuko Oghoroko, the President General of the Okuama Development Association, while in military custody.
Omo-Agege, the 2023 governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State said the incident surrounding the demise of Oghoroko has raised serious concerns, saying that an in-depth examination is necessary to ensure accountability and justice.
Oghoroko was said to have passed away while in the detention facility of the Nigerian Army.
It would be recalled that Pa Oghoroko was arrested in August 2024 alongside Prof Arthur Ekpekpo, Chief Belvis Adogbo, Dennis Okugbaye, Pa Anthony Ahwemuria and Mrs Rita Akata, and all of them have remained in unknown detention facilities since then.
The arrest followed the killing of 17 military officers who were reportedly on a peace mission to the community on March 14, 2024.
Reacting to the development, Omo-Agege in a statement issued by his media adviser, Sunny Areh, decried the handling of the issue by the military, saying that its approach to the arrest and detention of the community leaders of Okuama without arraigning them in court is inappropriate and against the grain of democratic practices.
The two term former law maker who represented the people of Delta Central in the last Senate maintained that in a democratic society such as Nigeria, the legal platform should be used to secure justice for all parties and maintain peace in the area.
The statement reads in part: “Pa James Achovwuko Oghoroko and the others are not soldiers, but civilians that ought to have been tried in a civil court. Failing to do so and this tragic development has cast a pall on democratic governance in Nigeria. Right now, the people in the area believe their leader was tortured, ultimately leading to his death. A thorough investigation by an independent body is imperative to dispel any inaccurate perception of the entire saga.”
